Disclaimer: See chapter 1

Note from Author: Once again these characters are based on what the Broccoli game (i.e the original) described them, not what the anime decided to throw on the dart board.(Yes, I'm going to be a game purist here.)

Also, there are references (albeit vaguely worded) to Norse connections to other religions, so there is a rather...umm...not kind view of a historical period involving Christianity in the way it relates to the events at hand. Again, its only a reference, not a critique. If you are offended, it is never my intention to undermine it as a faith, but more to see it from the perspective of clashing gods during a rather turbulent time period

Prose 4:

The second day of not having Balder in class was a little better. The gods had accepted their friend wasn't coming for a while, as such the lesson went off without a hitch. For once.

Loki was distracted, not listening, thinking about his friend cooped up in their dorms. That had to be boring. Hell, he was bored not having him around to have fun with. He wondered what Balder was doing alone in his room-wait no scratch that. He DIDN'T wonder that. Loki didn't realize his face flushing at the thought.

Finally Thoth finished his lesson on—indoor plumbing or whatever the hell he was teaching, and Loki wasted very little time in finally losing Thor for the day and skipped out to find greener pastures. Literally.

He headed towards the south side of campus where the weather was a little warmer to relax by the tree and gaze at the clouds in the sky. On the other hand, Loki wished Balder and Thor were here with him. They'd find shapes in the clouds, and Loki was known for finding the most inventive shapes in them, but now, he just saw them as clouds. White balls of fluff.

He pouted angrily, not hearing footsteps stop near his head.

"Hey, trickster," the voice above him was deep. Loki tipped his head back further seeing a short god in a green sweatshirt. Takeru Totsuka's nose looked a little better and his eyes didn't look like it took a gorilla punch anymore.

"I'm not in the mood to fight," Loki said, hoping the sea god would just leave.

"I'm not here to fight. I'm here to apologize."

That caused Loki to sit up and turn his head, his eyes wide and incredulous.

Immediately, Takeru cut Loki off from making a sarcastic remark. "Don't ruin this with a wise-crack."

"I'm not," Loki replied, "What are you apologizing to me for? You didn't call me a 'red-neck idiot'"

"Actually 'simple-minded bumpkin' but that's beside the point," Takeru sat down next to his nemesis. "I'm not apologizing about that. I'm apologizing about what I said about your people."

Loki shook his head. He rather he apologize about what he said about Balder. Then again why should he? He was punched in the nose and Balder never had a chance to apologize. If there was some way to explain it.

Luckily, Takeru broke the chilly ice that surrounded that topic.

"Why exactly did Balder snap? It seems…unlike him."

"It is and it isn't," Loki replied, perhaps with too much of a bite in his tone as Takeru flinched noticeably. "He likes to keep calm. He likes to smile and laugh. That much I know."

"I see."

"But, a few things upset him and he lashes out."

"Is that the truth?" Takeru asked just in case. Loki was known for being a liar. Would he lie about his fellow Norse friend to protect him?

Loki faced Takeru, eyes burning, his voice barely above a whisper, "Yes."

Takeru seemed satisfied with that answer. Or he didn't want to push. Normally he wouldn't care, but the Norse were strangely quiet. Oddly serious. Something wasn't right.

"You've got others living near you people, right?" Loki asked out of the blue.

"What? What do you mean?"

"You've got them…Chinese gods living around your area. Or is it Buddha?" Loki clarified, staring up at the clouds.

Takeru paused, his brow furrowed, but answered hesitantly, "Well…yeah. They keep watch over Japan with us. We generally work together in so many uncertain terms, but mind our space."

"Lucky," Loki murmured. "We clashed."

Loki seemed to be purposely vague and instead of getting frustrated, Takeru asked on. "Who?"

Loki gestured with his arms, spreading them wide open, "Everyone of us. Celtic, Gaelic, Saxon…."

He paused and finished with a surprisingly fearful tone, "…Christian Gods."

For Takeru, who was listening to Loki, watching as he seemed to be talking to himself. He wasn't curious about what he was talking about one bit, but maybe just sitting and listen to Loki get something off his chest would help.

"Not that I've met any of the New Age gods, but I've been acquainted with their followers. The old gods, well, I'm sure they'd have a few 'pleasant' things to say about us. Oh sure, we'd clash and fight and clash again, until one of us was raw, our weapons and curiosity splintered. But I tell you, the Celtic and Gaelic deities were calling upon us when they were in trouble. The spread of new religions and new faiths pushed them to the brink of madness."

What the hell is he on about? Takeru thought to himself, slightly afraid he unwittingly pulled a screw lose in Loki's head.

"I don't mind them really," Loki continued. "I don't mind their followers either. Any of those gods. But the fighting and the bribing…from our people and theirs…a naïve god like Balder saw that with absolute disgust. He was just stepping into contact with humans and he saw that mess…"

The red-haired god snapped his fingers loudly, "He turned back around, not wanting any part of it. Not that I blame him. You are right, Totsuka."

Takeru blinked hearing his last name, "I am?"

"The people we are in charge of are violent. But they say violence begets violence, and their enemies, whomever they may be, tried to one-up their violence. Before any of us knew it our entire region became one giant bloody mess. But someone has to ring victorious."

Loki shook his head and stood up, dusting his dungarees off. He turned and patted Takeru's head, "Can you guess who won?"

The smaller god wasn't sure if he had to answer. Yet, before he could utter a word, Loki shoved his hands and stalked off, leaving Takeru bewildered over what he just heard. He tried to pick the maddening mumblings apart, hoping to get an answer to his question, but he found none.

"What the hell was that all about?"

That evening, Yui took the uphill trek to the chilly Norse dorm, holding her suitcase of notes and books she was reading for ideas for Christmas. She never recalled going to the Norse dorm. She's stopped by the Greek dorms, and would practice kendo with Takeru at their dorm, but she never set foot near the Norse. She didn't want to avoid them, that's for certain, but she was never invited and never had a reason to go.

Well now she did. If she were honest, she was curious. Although she heard from Dionysus that they probably had smelly gym socks everywhere, one look at where they lived she imagined it to be…rustic. Not the marble and stone pillars that formed the Greek dorm, nor the rather simplified rice-paper and wood design of the Japanese gods.

A forest surrounded the Norse area and she could smell the distinct scent of pine. Yui reached the stone steps leading up to the wooden cottage that was the Norse dorm. She knocked on the door once and immediately could hear Thor and Loki bicker.

"Loki, someone's at the door."

"You get it."

"I'm making dinner. Open it, it could be Apollo with a message from Zeus."

"Fine."

Yui waited as she heard the handle of the door turn and the door open. Loki took one look at her and rolled his eyes, "No, it's just a 5'2" single Japanese human woman with a bad haircut."

Yui bit her lip and rolled her eyes, "Knock it off Loki. I'm here to catch Balder up. Or are you doing that for me?"

In the back they heard Thor give a short bark of laughter.

"I don't know. Did you make an appointment?" the red-head shot back.

"Come on, Loki. I walked all the way up here. Can't you at least be civil?"

"Civil?" Loki laughed aloud. "I'm supposed to let you in our sacred home and harass us with more Christmastime glee?"

"Loki!" Thor threatened and Loki hung his head, standing aside.

"Fine, come in."

Yui was right about the Norse dorm. It appeared to have a nice rustic look to it. Homey and warm, with wood and handcrafted items everywhere. A huge fireplace was the centerpiece and it looked like it was used often. And, no, it didn't smell like sweaty gym socks. It smelled earthy and smoky. Not an unpleasant smell.

"Where's Balder," she asked. Yui didn't see the blond god anywhere in the foyer.

"Probably up in his room," Loki sighed and she followed him up the staircase to where the rooms were. He stopped by the middle room and knocked on the door.

"Balder, open up, someone's here to see you."

Loki paused, waiting, but there was no answer. He pounded on the door again, "Come on Balder. Open this door."

Still no answer.

"Don't make me give you the belt," Loki threatened lightly, his voice deep and scratchy, impersonating an overbearing father.

Loki gave up and put his hand on the handle, and whispered to himself, "If there's a dead body behind this door, I swear…"

The door was unlocked and it opened easily, but the room was empty.

"Where'd he go?" Loki asked before calling over the banister to Thor, "Hey, Thor. Have you seen Balder?"

"No," Thor called back.

"Well he's not in his room," Loki replied. "He's like a bull in a glass shop, he doesn't ever exactly sneak anywhere."

"Have you tried his ship?" said Thor, noncommittally.

"No."

Loki sighed and led Yui to the back porch were there was a walkway towards the lake behind the dorm. The darkness of night was closing in, but luckily torches were lit along the steps down to the dock.

"It should be docked. Not hard to miss," Loki said, ignoring the look Thor was giving. It was obvious Thor wanted Loki to escort her to the ship, but the God of Mischief wanted nothing to do with…whatever Yui was going to do with Balder. At most he wanted to be there for Balder, in case the human girl said something stupid.

Before he could decide what to do, Yui opened the sliding glass door to the porch and descended the steps to the dock. The ship she saw was long and made entirely of wood, but seemed expertly crafted with care. Yui remembered reading somewhere that the Norse folk were expert craftsmen. They may not have been noted to make gigantic monuments like the Greeks, but when it comes to technology, they seemed ahead of their time, making wooden ships sturdy enough to traverse the violent seas of the north and reaching all ends of the globe.

She ascended the wooden board that connected the dock to the ship. Yui never been on a ship before, and hearing the soft lake wash against the ship, the gentle rocking was both comforting and exhilarating. Once aboard, she realized the ship was rather simplistic in design. One long base with a tent covering the middle section before the bow and stern drew up into a winding head of a dragon. The mast was down, leaving it look slightly bare. Curious, Yui ducked under the tarp, stepping down a step, but was immediately awed at what was underneath.

The inside must've been magically conjured because it looked like a small quaint room you'd find in the cabin of a normal ship, mostly wooden of course, with a desk, chest and drawers and a small makeshift bed covered in animal pelts. She spotted Balder sitting at the desk, working hard at something intricate, with only a small candle to work by. He didn't seem to notice her enter. She could see why. He seemed so focused on what he was doing.

Yui cautiously took one step and called his name, "Balder."

Balder jerked violently, startled, his eyes wide.

Yui held her hand out in an easing gesture, "I-I'm sorry I didn't mean to startle you."

His rapid breathing stopped, and he held his hand over his chest, as if to calm the beating of his overactive heart, "Y-Yui? Wh-what are you doing here?"

Never had she heard him stammer so horribly. She remembered him so sure of his words and rather eloquent if not known to say a few funny things. But by the way he was speaking, you'd think he was born with a speech problem.

"I'm just giving you some notes so you can keep up," she replied, lifting her bag.

"O-oh. Thank you."

Yui however didn't open her bag, but instead glanced at the desk to see what he was working on. It seemed to be jewelry making. Or some type of accessory making. She saw shiny wires taped to the desk, looking like they've been woven into knots.

"What are you working on?" she asked leaning over.

Balder turned back to the bits of metal and answered, "A little Viking knit jewelry."

"That's incredible," she said in awe, getting a closer work at how intricate and delicate the weaving was despite it being metal. "And that's all metal?"

Balder nodded, "I'm not good with crafts. Loki is way better at craft making than I am. But I do enjoy it. I get a little too immersed though."

Yui laughed, "So? If its something you enjoy, it's okay to be invested."

The blond god gave a lopsided smile, but refused to look directly at her. He nervously scratched the back of his head and motioned to the bed, "Would you like to sit down? I don't have another chair, but you can sit on the bed."

"Sure," Yui sat on the rather hard bed. It seemed underused and rough, but the feel of the fur underneath her fingertips felt really good. Perhaps on cold nights like these, the fur blankets provided comfort. Enough comfort for her to remain where she was as Balder seemed to struggle to say anything else or carry on a conversation. He ran his sweaty palms on his trousers, rocking in his seat.

"I…er…don't have any food here. I can run up and get some. O-or you can go up and get some and stay—"

"Balder."

"Yes?" he replied nervously.

"Have you been sleeping well?" she asked, taking a better look at his rather exhausted and jittery appearance. The Norse god sighed and hung his head before a light shake told her the answer.

"Okay," she said softly at the answer. "Then, can you tell me why?"

"You know why," he replied darkly. Surely Loki or Thor told her.

"No I don't, but I want to know. I didn't mean to offend anyone. If Christmas bothered you, you should've said something."

Balder scoffed, "And see your disappointed face? No."

"What my face says shouldn't matter. If you don't like it you should've told me. You can't carry on and say things are okay when they really aren't," Yui tried hard not to scold him, but it was frustrating that a simple "I'm not comfortable with this" would've stopped Takeru's and Thoth's face from being busted open and Balder from being suspended. "What is wrong with Christmas anyways?"

Balder sighed and focused on the candle on his desk, "You are asking us to do a Yule celebration but call it Christmas. A celebration that was supposed to be in honor of my brother but attribute it to a foreign god. I am forced to recall the destruction of my temple and Loki's and Thor's. The perpetrators called it 'Christmas' as well."

He was being vague, somewhat purposefully. How could he express the complex feelings he had for this time of year? Yui seemed to diverge from the bigger picture and asked, "You have a brother?"

Balder blinked but smiled, looking briefly happy for once in a while, "Yes. My twin. Hödr. He is the God of Darkness and brings winter. We are twins but I was born in spring and he was born in winter, on the Solstice. We celebrate his birth on the Solstice every year."

Rather than be confused over the technicalities of twins being born in separate months, Yui preferred to stay in his comfort zone, "Does he look like you?"

Balder laughed, "We are fraternal twins—I believe that is the term—and no we don't look very much alike. Hödr works hard every year. Even though people don't generally like what he does, he does his duty faithfully."

Yui watched as pride brightened in Balder's face as he talked about Hödr. He spoke almost as if he envied his younger twin's work ethic, and the steadfast power he held in bringing the seasons in order, whilst he, most likely was fooling around in Loki and Thor's exploits.

"Whatever I feel about how humans celebrate this season, just seeing him and making him happy for just one day, is what I look forward to," he took a deep breath. "And now I won't be able to celebrate it with him."

"You miss him."

"Yes," he admitted. "I'm glad I have my best friends with me. But because Hödr spends most of his time in seclusion, I don't see him often anyway."

He sniffed politely and turned back to his metal weaving, "But that's neither here nor there—"

"But that song. The caroling? What does that have to do with anything? You reacted to THAT specifically."

"I just get upset when I hear praises sung to another in place of my brother and all other gods who bring about winter and Yule. I know it sounds foolish and myopic and most of all selfish…"

He glanced over his shoulder at the human girl on the bed. His bed. She was rubbing her arms and seemed a little cold.

"But…" he stood and finished, "I take my family and friends seriously."

"I know you do," she replied with the barest of smiles.

"Are you cold?" he asked, giving her his full attention.

"A little but—"

"Here," Balder strode over to the end the bed and opened the trunk. He pulled out a large thick cloak that looked to be made of the fur of some large animal, like a bear or boar, "Put this on."

He held it out to her as if he was about to place it on her shoulders, but she stopped him, "N-no I can't."

Balder looked confused, if not hurt.

"It's just a little—" Intimate? Is that the word she was looking for? Hell she was on his bed, but for heaven's sake a coat was just too much? Gods if she can't separate platonic gestures from intimate ones there is no way any of the gods she was with was going to learn how to love. "It isn't right to take your coat."

"Is that a human thing?" he asked.

"No, it's a…cultural thing," she lied.

"I didn't know," he replied. "Where I'm from it is considered good manners to offer clothing to guests. Because of, you know, the cold."

This gave Yui pause. She regarded the blond god as he folded the heavy pelt over his arm prepared to return it to the chest. Perhaps she was being selfish and narrow-minded. If she was to represent humanity, shouldn't she at least be immersed in some of the other customs around the world?

"Wait. Maybe I could take it. If it's proper etiquette."

Balder smiled and laid the pelt over her shoulders gently. The pelt was heavy, like lead was lined in it. She couldn't imagine anyone walking or doing much activity with this over their shoulders, but perhaps the Norse were hearty enough to endure it. That aside, she felt undeniably warm and cozy, the chill disappearing almost immediately. She drew the fuzzy pelt tighter around herself, now only moderately mortified at the reality that this was once part of a living being.

"I just realized," she said softly. "You always ask me questions about Japan and Japanese society, but I know nothing about your culture."

Balder's lips were set in a grim line, "Why do you want to know about my culture?"

"Why not? It's only fair. Besides, until now I've never seen or heard you guys talk much about Norse culture."

Balder laughed lightly, "Yui, you're on a long ship wearing a bear pelt. It can't get any Norse than that."

"I suppose I need a goblet of grog to make this perfect," she joked.

Balder shrugged, "More like a drinking horn of mead, but yes."

Both exchanged a small bout of laughter and Balder never felt more at ease in these past few days. He knew he could trust her for a long time, but he feared that he would be judged for having such complicated feelings. The other gods no doubt judged him. Even his friends didn't seem to fully understand. Did he want them to though?

"I almost forgot!" Yui reached over, fumbling in her bag before pulling out a worn green book. "I picked this out from the library trying to get some ideas for myself, but I think maybe you should read this."

Balder took the book out of her hands and read the title with a hint of disappointment, "A Christmas Carol? Yui…"

She held up her hand, "I know, I know, but I think reading it will give you an idea on how people view Christmas. Apart from commercialism that is. Many celebrate it for religious purposes yes, but a lot like to see other reasons the celebrate the holidays. Maybe this book can give you a better idea."

Balder glanced at the cover, frowning, perplexed. The title sounded like what the carols over the PA were going to give him. Yet, Yui sounded so adamant that the book would help.

"Is this a pamphlet? Or a glossary?"

Yui shook her head, "No, it's a novel. Humans consider it a literary classic."

"Charles Dickens," he read the author's name slowly. "What an odd name."

"It's British."

"British?"

"He's from England."

"England?"

Modern geography really clashed with the geography Thoth taught. What did he call England? What region did he attribute England with? Yui tried to wrack her brain to call it something he would recognize.

"England…oh wait. You mean the Anglo-Saxons?" he asked.

"Er, I guess. He's much later so I don't think he's technically Anglo-Saxon."

"Regardless, if you recommend it, then I shall read it."

Yui nodded in success and reached into her bag again to pull out a notebook and pen, poised to take notes. "Now…tell me more about how you guys celebrate Yule."

A/N: Technically England as a country was more called Britannica, but I think the Norse only really attribute it to Anglo-Saxons (they did have several settlements there). Hödr had to be mentioned. It is technically unknown what he is the god of, but there is some speculation that he may have been a god attributed to darkness and winter in contrast to Balder's light and spring. Honestly, I didn't know how to end this chapter so it seems a little cut-off.

Also, shameless plug here, this will be a two-part series. Which is sad, because I have a good portion of the second story already mapped out (just have to figure out how to end it).